Accuracy in estimating fasting blood glucose levels by patients with diabetes.

This study was designed to assess the accuracy with which diabetic patients can estimate their fasting blood sugars (FBS) and to determine whether experience with self-monitoring of blood glucose improves this ability. Twenty patients with type II diabetes who had no experience with self-monitoring of blood glucose were compared with 17 patients who had been monitoring blood sugar regularly for the previous 8 mo. All patients were asked to estimate FBS immediately before it was measured in the laboratory.

Dietary approaches to the reduction of blood pressure: the independence of weight and sodium/potassium interventions.

This study was designed to determine the feasibility of teaching mildly hypertensive individuals to select a diet, using normally available food products, that either would produce a 5% reduction in percentage of overweight (without altering sodium (Na), potassium (K), or Na:K ratio) or would decrease Na to less than 70 mEq and increase K to greater than 100 mEq (without affecting weight) and to compare the resulting changes in blood pressure. Fifty-two participants with mild hypertension were randomly assigned to either a weight-loss or a Na:K intervention. Blood pressure, weight, 3-day diaries, and 24-h urinary excretion of Na and K were measured before and after an 8-week intervention.